Boston, Massachusetts Short Term Rental Laws

Enter your email to start tracking Boston, MA short term rental laws for FREE!
In subscribing, you agree to our terms & privacy policy.

Law Source

We're tracking 1 law url in Boston, Massachusetts

  • Boston, MA Source Url #1 (Last checked 6 months ago)
    https://www.boston.gov/departments/inspectional-services/short-term-rentals

Boston, MA Short Term Rental Law Summary

Source Url #1
  • Short-term rentals in Boston need to register with the City of Boston
  • Residential units offered as short-term rentals are only allowed in owner-occupied condominiums, single-family, two-family, and three-family buildings
  • There are three types of short-term rental units: Home share unit, Limited share unit, and Owner-adjacent unit
  • Limited share units have a private bedroom or shared space in an owner-operator's primary residence, with the owner present during the rental
  • Home share units have a whole unit available for short-term rental at the owner-operator's primary residence, with the owner not present during the rental
  • Owner-adjacent units are within owner-occupied two- or three-family buildings, with the owner listing a single secondary unit as a short-term rental
  • Rental stays of 28 consecutive days or longer are not considered short-term rentals
  • Units used for furnished institutional or business stays must have a minimum stay of at least 10 days and must have a contract with a corporate housing operator and an institution or business
  • Lodging houses and bed and breakfasts need to register with the City's short-term rental registry, but do not have to pay a registration fee
  • Units must meet eligibility criteria, including not being restricted by affordability covenants, being in compliance with housing laws and codes, and not violating any laws beyond the City's jurisdiction relating to short-term rental use
  • Units must be the owner-operator's primary residence and located in a two- or three-family dwelling (for owner-adjacent units)
  • Units must be classified as residential use and not part of certain non-residential uses
  • Host responsibilities include including the registration number on listings, obtaining a business certificate, renewing the short-term rental license annually, posting a sign with fire safety information, only offering one whole unit at a time, and notifying abutters of the short-term rental registration.
Tracking Boston, MA short term rental laws in the following zipcodes: 02120, 02121, 02122, 02124, 02125, 02126, 02127, 02128, 02129, 02210, 02215, 02467, 02119, 02118, 02111, 02110, 02113, 02115, 02114, 02116, 02199, 02134, 02136, 02135, 02133, 02132, 02131, 02130, 02203, 02205, 02163, 02108, 02109, 02112, 02117, 02123, 02137, 02196, 02201, 02206, 02211, 02212, 02217, 02222, 02241, 02283, 02284, 02293, 02297, 02298

The STR law tracker is brought to you by Welcome Guide. We offer digital guidebooks that increase STR profits & decrease guest questions. It takes less than 3 minutes to be up and running!